“Rembrandt’s Anatomy Lesson” 1968

A scene from “Rembrandt’s Anatomy Lesson,” photo by Eustachy Kossakowski

For the needs of the film “Kantor ist da” mentioned above Kantor presented the first version of this happening. The happening was presented several times: not only in Kunsthalle in Nuremberg (1968), but also in the Foksal Gallery in Warsaw (24 Jan. 1969), in Dourdan near Paris (Sept. 1971), in Sonja Henie-Onstad Kunstcenter in Oslo (Oct. 1971). It lasted approximately one hour.

“The Anatomy Lesson,” where the anatomy of apparel was demonstrated, may in turn be considered a good example of deemballage. I carried it out very ceremoniously, buttressing the action of the happening with the prestige of Rembrandt’s famous painting. [Borowski, Wiesław. “Rozmowa z Tadeuszem Kantorem.”(Interview with Tadeusz Kantor), in: Borowski, Wiesław. Tadeusz Kantor. Warszawa: Wydawnictwa Artystyczne i Filmowe, 1982, p. 86.]